UK panel probes Huawei

The United States congressional report against two leading Chinese telecom companies is having a ripple effect worldwide.

On Friday, a United Kingdom Parliament committee said that it is investigating Huawei's business in the UK after governments from Australia and Canada also expressed concerns this week.

The UK Parliament's intelligence and security committee is investigating the relationship between Huawei and the BT Group Plc, the London-based telecommunications giant. Huawei supplies telecom equipment to BT, the Guardian and Reuters reported on Friday.

The committee is "reviewing the whole presence of Huawei in regard to (the country's) critical national infrastructure and whether that should give rise for concern", the Guardian reported, citing the committee's chairman, Malcolm Rifkind.

The investigation is unlikely to have any immediate impact on Huawei's business in the UK.

Ofcom, the UK's telecommunications regulator, declined to comment on the investigation.

In a statement e-mailed to China Daily on Friday, BT said there is no need to change its relation with Huawei despite the increased scrutiny.

"We work closely with Huawei on commercial security best practice, and our relationship with Huawei is managed strictly in accordance with UK laws," the company said in the e-mailed statement.